9 Steps to Handling Commercial Water Damage

1/26/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO equipment warehouse, ready for any size disaster

MY BUSINESS IS FLOODING! WHAT DO I DO?

A storm has swept the region, or perhaps your property suffered a plumbing failure. Water soaks inventory, covers floors, puddles around equipment, and ruins furnishings. Taking in the damage can be overwhelming.

9-STEP GUIDE for HOW TO DEAL WITH A FLOODED BUSINESS

With the building flooded, it’s hard to serve customers or do any kind of business. Dangerous mold growth, sewage backup, and structural damage are just some of the problems you may face.

Our guide helps you overcome flooding caused by fractured frozen pipes, faulty fire sprinkler systems, storm flooding, and more.

Recover from a flood with these 9 steps:

1. TURN Off WATER AND UTILITIES

Immediately turn off gas and electricity to your building. If your commercial property is flooding due to plumbing or leaky pipes, shut off the water main. If you’re not sure of the location of shut-off valves, contact your property manager. If you have an Emergency Ready Plan from SERVPRO, this information will be available already for any employee on the property.

2. CONTACT YOUR INSURANCE AGENT

Second, call your agent to outline the extent of damage and schedule an inspection for the adjuster. Keep communication records of all emails and calls with your insurer. Include dates, times, and names.

3. CALL A LOCAL RESTORATION COMPANY

Rather than cleaning up yourself, certified technicians should take care of water removal, structural drying, and if necessary, mold remediation. Contact a water damage restoration company, such as SERVPRO, with experience handling all types of commercial business flooding. Licensed technicians minimize business disruption so that you can reopen as soon as possible.

4. DOCUMENT ANY DAMAGE

Next, make detailed documentation of the damage. Take photos and video of all water damage inside and outside of your property. Share the information with your adjuster and insurance company.

8. GET FRESH AIR MOVING

Open interior doors, cabinets, and drawers in affected areas. If it’s not humid outside, open windows and exterior doors. From there, the SERVPRO restoration team will set up heavy-duty equipment that expedites and completes the process.

6. SORT FOR SALVAGE

As you sort, don’t assume all water-damaged items are a complete loss. Our technicians can often restore inventory, furnishings, electronics, and paper records.

7. SAVE FOR THE ADJUSTER

Items that cannot be recovered must be examined by your adjuster. Don’t throw anything away until your adjuster completes a full inspection. From waterlogged furniture to flood-soaked inventory, you want the adjuster to note all damage and every loss you’re aware of.

5. SECURE YOUR PROPERTY

It might be days or weeks before you can reopen for business, so secure the property. Limited access keeps it safe and keeps your insurance carrier happy. If you need to board up windows, SERVPRO can help.

9. SPREAD THE WORD

Keep employees, customers, and suppliers posted on the restoration status. Use social media to let everyone know about your temporary closing and prospective reopening, updating information as progress is made. When the flood cleanup, restoration, and repairs are finished, celebrate the milestone with a grand reopening.

REMEMBER:

-KNOW YOUR INSURANCE COVERAGE

-GET AN EMERGENCY READINESS PLAN

-BE CAREFUL WITH CLEANUP

If you decide to tackle cleanup on your own, be careful. Flooding in a business setting can leave behind contaminated water, unhealthy debris, and raw sewage.

It’s best to leave flood cleanup to certified technicians.

If you don’t have coverage for natural disasters, look into your options through FEMA’s flood insurance program for businesses. The agent who handles your business insurance can help with the details.

KNOW WHO TO CALL

Even a small amount of water can shut the business down indefinitely. Bringing in a restoration company saves valuable time. These are just a few of the services that get you back in business.

• Help to navigate insurance claims
• Pumping systems for fast water removal
• Structural drying that speeds up recovery
• Mold remediation to protect health
• Air duct cleaning which restores fresh interiors

We provide expert commercial water damage cleanup and restoration services in Northern Nevada and Lake Tahoe regions.

Our teams are always ready to respond to your flood emergency 24/7, helping you to minimize losses and maximize recovery efforts.

When you’re prepared in advance, it’s easier to prevent further damage and manage the aftereffects of a flooded business. You can get a free Emergency Ready Plan for your business’s property today. Call (281) 469-2957 to get a response plan, showing your property’s shut-off valves and other details allowing employees in your facility to respond quickly to any water-related incident and prevent further damage.

When you need to get the doors open once again, call SERVPRO of KATY/CYPRESS/CHAMPIONS/1960: (281) 469-2957